Media Homework

We see in this extract the differences between class and status, gender, and regional identity. These three representation areas show us as the audience what this show is about and what some of the characters behavior will be based on their representation area due to the stereotypes that society has built on. I will be talking about these three representation areas and be analyzing the 4 technical areas of representation (camera, editing, sound, and mise-en scene) within the extract from "EastEnders"

We see from the start of the extract that the use of "class and status" ties in with the camera work and the blocking of the actors. The actors that are of a higher class and status are grouped together to one side and are concerned about matters that relate to their specific class. However other actors that are of a lower class are set further away to show the distance and difference in class. The way that camera work is done to show the difference between the two classes is very clever and subtle. The higher class members are set to be slightly higher up in the frame compared to the lower class members, this is a good way to tell the audience that these are the two classes being shown here. When showing class and status in this extract we see that sound is used very well to tell the audience what the difference is between higher and lower class. The lower class seems to talk in an accent which is hard to understand based on the amount of slang and "street" language used. However the higher class uses easier to understand language and sounds more professional. The editing to compare the two classes would be the use of shot reverse shot which would give the audience a obvious comparison between the pair. The mise-en scene that separates the higher and lower classes is definitely the use of the costumes that the actors are wearing. The pizza boy symbolizes the lower class as we can see from his uniform at a low end job and the pub owner is dressed in a smart shirt which indicates his higher class job and status. 

Gender plays a big role in this extract as well as we see what each gender does and how they react in this certain situation. The male lead here takes more of the control as we can see through close ups of his face and the emotion brought out from the actor. The female roles tend to sit back and only add in a few comments to the overall scene. The sound shown in gender sees the male characters use a demanding tone with their voices, however the females tend to use calmer tones as they try to change the situation. The mise en scene for gender is very basic as the actors wear clothes for the specific gender. Editing shown for gender is very basic with cuts that show the two gender acting out next to each other. The shot reverse shot is used to show not only the class and status between the different characters but also the gender difference. 

The regional identity shown in this extract is very highlighted in the way that pizza boy speaks and acts compared to the pub owner. The pizza boy enters the pub and in a loud manner speaks on with a very strong accent and slang. The tracking shot showing his entrance takes the audience by surprise and shocks the viewer about how loud and open he is. This could link to the region he is from and the way that they act there. This is compared through the way that the other characters talk and the way that they conduct themselves, this is a great comparison between the two groups and shows the audience where they come from and that the two groups have different regional identities.